Drago: Fancy Italian Cuisine

A few weeks ago, MS and I met up with a couple friends to have a nice fancy dinner at Drago in Santa Monica where Chef Celestino Drago brings us Italian cuisine like no other.

On the south side of the street, the restaurant welcomes you with Californian palm trees and a valet attendant. And like so many other places in Santa Monica, it's hard to find street parking or any kind of parking that's free. So we valeted the car for about 4-5 dollars. All of which is so classically LA.

Now normally, I never feel underdressed or out of place, unless I'm the "only one" in a room. When I'm the only Asian or the only woman, I stick out like a sore thumb. Like when I took an African/African American Studies class and my classmates all asked me if I was in the right class. After I said yes, I was accepted into the group even though I wasn't African or African American. And at Drago, well, I felt a little uneasy. Rich colors and ornate decor lined the room, and groups of people dined over goblets of red and white wine. Maybe it was my casual dress in this fancy fare, maybe it was the observation that there weren’t too many people of color in the restaurant, maybe it was the fact that I had some fast food for lunch. In any event, I felt as if I was out of my league at this high end restaurant.

That is, that's how I felt as we waited for our friends to arrive and were quickly seated after confirming our reservation for 4. But then, Mr. Drago, himself, came out of the kitchen door and greeted patrons with a genuinely friendly smile and personable handshake. And that's when we made eye contact, and he walked over to our table. Suddenly, I felt such at ease and part of a large family – his family.

On this busy Saturday night, we felt welcome and were definitely ready to eat! And as soon as we sat down, we were given complimentary bread sticks and plates of mini appetizers. Out came a glass filled with tall sesame and bread sticks, bruschetta with bits of garlic and parmesan cheese, and some deep fried breaded mozerella cheese. All of which were tantalizing treats that served as sneak previews for the rest of dinner.



From TL clockwise, we ordered a few appetizers and our dinner entrees. We shared an organic baby spinach salad with julienne slices of pears and light Sardinian pecorino cheese. The Insalata di Spinaci Pere e Pecorino [14.50] was absolutely delicious except that the cheese was still a little too strong for my taste. The sweet pieces of crunchy fruit is my favorite in salads.

We also shared the ahi tuna carpaccio with Dungeness crab salad in a lemon-grass ginger dressing. The Carpaccio di Tonno con Insalatina di Granghio [14.00] - TR had a very distinct and strong seafood flavor from the crab, and I would have opted for just the thin slices of ahi tuna with vegetables and the dressing to stand alone.

The last appetizer we split was the beef carpaccio with summer truffles, pears, and parmesan cheese salad [12.00] - BR. The Carpaccio di Bue, Insalata Riccia, Pere, Parmigiano e Tartufo was rich but absolutely delicious! With savory slivers of the prized truffles, this was one of my favorite appetizers, not including the complimentary panko cheese that melted in my mouth. (Truffles have quickly become a new fascination for me!)

From BL, the entrees began to come out. MLS ordered the homemade Cavatelli Fatti in Casa al Ragu di Capriolo e Porcini [16.00] that was made with venison. At first glance, I thought I saw green beans. With the soft creamy texture, I was surprised to find the dish quite gamey in flavor. This was something I would definitely not order for myself.



Then came the other dinner plates. From TL clockwise, MS took a risk and ordered the seafood risotto with black squid ink. The Risotto al Nero di Seppie [17.00] had a very deceptive appearance. A black mass atop a bright plate sat hidden shrimps and scallops that were tender and quite delicious. I was reminded of a plate of black beans with the risotto textures in the black squid ink.

I ordered the Grilled Ono special of the night [30.00] with garlic mashed potatoes, cherry tomatoes, and slivers of truffles in a white wine butter sauce. I was expecting soft flakes of white fish that I love from Hawaii. But I think that Chef Drago let the fish grill a little longer than it should and instead of tender bites, the ono was dry and hard to swallow. There wasn't enough infused flavor or sauce to dip each bite, and I was very disappointed with my expensive meal.

Bottom left, the last entree that came out of the kitchen was the pan roasted rabbit in a sweet and sour sauce. The Coniglio all' Agrodolce [25.00] was surprisingly tender and moist. Since I’ve never tried rabbit before, I was almost expecting another gamey taste as with the venison. But instead, rabbit just tasted like a more flavorful chicken to me. And I was jealous that it had more flavor and juice than my own dish.



And no dinner is ever complete without dessert. We asked our server for his recommendations for something light after such a heavy and filling meal, and placed our orders for a Chocolate Cannoli served with a small cup of lemon ice (pictured in the above collage on the bottom right) and a cold Lemon Souffle with diced strawberries and a dark chocolate stick sprinkled with powdered sugar. The latter was definitely my favorite of the night! With a light and tangy flavor, this dessert left the palate with a cool refreshing taste and was a great way to end the night.

Too bad my heart almost stopped when the bill arrived! It came out to be about $53 per person for a dinner out. Maybe if I was more impressed with the food, I would have been happy to dish out the $100+ for the two of us. But because I was a little disappointed with some of the food, I vowed never to come back - even if Mr. Drago himself asked me to come back. I’m sorry, but the food and service wasn't that great enough for me to experience it again.

Drago Ristorante-Bar
street: 2628 wilshire blvd, santa monica ca 90403
t: 1.310.828.1585
hours: m-f | 11a-3p, m-sa | 5:30p-11p, su | 5:30p-10p
web: www.celestinodrago.com/
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